a local food ecosystem﻿

​Mid Mitten Sustainable Farm is producing local food in Central Michigan using natural and sustainable practices. We use rotational grazing to manage traditional farm animals in grassland and savanna ecosystems in a way that resembles how their wild ancestors impacted the land. Our focus is on restoring the soil ecology as we believe healthy soil is the foundation for healthy plants, animals, humans, and societies.

Sustainable practices implemented at Mid Mitten Farm:

Management Intensive Grazing

Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing

Composting

Permaculture

Silvopasture

Hugelkultur

Sustainable Forest Management

We DON’T use:

Hormones

Antibiotics

GMOs

Mechanical Tillage (we don’t own a tractor!)

Pesticides

Chemicals

Synthetic Fertilizer

Benefits of Sustainable Farming:

Clean and Safe Food

More Nutritious Food

Better Tasting Food

Clean Water

Carbon Sequestration

Healthy Soil

Abundant Wildlife

Productive Land

​Less than a half day’s drive from anywhere in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, we are your local choice for sustainable meat all over the Mitten! ​

Farrow to Fork!

Breeding our own pigs means we control every aspect of our pork production from day one. Pigs are amazing animals who can eat almost anything. As you can imagine, that means a wide range in meat quality and flavor are possible, depending on how the animal was raised. Plenty of green grass and sunshine is the key to producing the best tasting and most nutritious pork.

Our pigs spend most of their lives on pasture, where they are able to express their unique natural instincts. They love to use their snouts to dig for plant roots, bugs, and whatever other tasty morsels might be in the soil. The end result looks like destruction of the pasture, but when properly managed, it is actually beneficial to the ecosystem in a number of ways, such as loosening compacted soil, controlling invasive plants, and promoting biodiversity. To maximize these benefits and the quality of our pork, we move the pigs to a new location every week through the growing season, and allow the land to rest for at least one to two years before placing pigs on it again.

​A sow has two litters of piglets per year, which gives us the ability to offer top quality pork twice a year!

Pastured Pork

​These pigs are born on pasture in the fall, and finished on the lush green grass of spring. During the coldest months of winter, when they are given shelter in the barn, we provide plenty of hay and outdoor space to simulate the pasture life and diet.

Woodland Pork

​Acorn finished, these pigs are born in the spring, run on pasture through the summer, and brought into our oak forest in the fall, where they fatten up on fallen acorns, walnuts, and hickory nuts.

Grazin' Greys Grassfed Beef - 100% Grassfed

​Our Murray Grey breed cattle make the best beef on nothing but pasture and hay! They spend their entire lives at Mid Mitten Farm where they are the main drivers of land restoration. Using portable electric fence, we are able to coordinate the herd’s grazing, moving them to fresh pasture each day. The heavy impact of cattle, followed by an appropriate rest period for the land, keeps the grass in a constant state of regrowth, maximizing photosynthesis and maintaining a healthy meadow ecosystem. The method also results in excellent beef, grass-finished to perfection!

Lawnmower Lamb - 100% Grassfed

​Lambs supply all the health benefits of grassfed beef in a smaller package. Likewise, they have a similar restorative effect on the land, but their smaller size makes them more maneuverable in tight spaces, making them the perfect lawnmowers! Using portable electric fencing that can be formed to fit any shape and size we need, we rotate our flock of sheep around the house, along the driveway, and anywhere else that would be too challenging and risky to try to squeeze cattle. We move them to fresh pasture every day and provide the land plenty of rest, simulating the mobbing and moving behavior of wild ruminants on native grasslands. As is the case with our cattle and pigs, the lambs are born right here, giving us control over your food until the day it goes to the butcher.

Pasture Purifier Eggs​

​Our flock of “Pasture Purifier” chickens follow the cattle, recreating an ancient prairie partnership between birds and large ruminants. The hens eat insects, stimulate grass growth with their scratching at the ground, and fertilize the soil. They protect the cows from disease by keeping fly populations low and breaking the parasite cycle. We use portable electric fence to create a “limited free range” environment where they are protected from predators. This also allows us to easily move them to new pasture every few days.

Our Chickens and pigs receive only Certified Organic grain in addition to what they forage for themselves. They also receive plenty of locally grown hay through the winter to replace the fresh grass and forbs in their pasture diet.

We put a small amount of Certified Organic raw apple cider vinegar in the drinking water of all our animals to promote healthy digestive systems.